The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recently named Greg Kester of Festus the state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.
Kester, a Potosi High School social studies teacher, said his focus in the classroom is to keep his students engaged in learning.
“My philosophy of teaching is based on social constructivism,” Kester said. “You have to build a relationship with students.”
He gave one of his recent classroom assignments as an example.
“I had a class rewrite the Declaration of Independence,” Kester said. “We rewrote it in modern language, modern terms. We voted on what phrases to use, which words to replace.”
Kester, 51, has been a teacher for 29 years, all in the Potosi R-3 School District. He and his wife, Amy, have two sons: Alex, 15, and Jack, 14.
He said his family has helped him achieve his career goals.
“I am very, very grateful for my family, who has always been supportive of me and my career, for which I’ve been very blessed,” he said.
During his career at Potosi, he has served as a department chair, cadet teaching coordinator and faculty sponsor for the Future Teachers of America club.
He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. He is a Cape Central High School graduate.
Kester said he has enjoyed his career in education.
“If I were doing anything else, I would be wasting my life,” he said.
DESE announced the honor in September and said a committee of teachers, business leaders and education organization officials chose the Missouri Teacher of the Year following interviews with the finalists.
Kester, as well as semifinalists and regional teachers of the year, were honored Oct. 16 during a recognition event in Columbia.
Potosi R-3 Superintendent Alex McCaul said Kester deserved the recognition.
“Mr. Kester is truly an amazing teacher who has made a positive impact on countless Potosi students over the years,” McCaul said. “He is a servant leader and is always giving back to his students and the district. I cannot think of a more deserving teacher to receive this award than Mr. Kester. We are blessed to have him on our staff with our many other amazing teachers.”
According to the DESE website, the state has about 70,000 public school educators.